"Sans is no fool. If he sees a threat in Chara, I believe him."
"That little fucking-"
"… William…?"
"Yes, Frisk?"
"He should be back by now."
…
February 8th, 213X
…
"Looks like he got cut across the chest somehow. Otherwise, he's just fine. Clipped a tree, but it's all pretty minor. He'll be out in a second, just double-checking with a professional that he's alright."
"Thank you, officer," Frisk nodded with a sigh of relief. Sans had been missing for two whole hours before Gaster received the call that his elder son had been in a car accident. Frisk had hardly been able to breathe- despite the officer's reassurance that Sans was fine- until they reached the hospital. And Frisk only truly relaxed when Sans himself came walking into the waiting room escorted by a nurse. As requested, Gaster had brought him fresh clothes which he was now wearing- the others bloodied from the cut across his chest. Sans didn't raise his gaze from the floor at all, stepping forward slowly to wrap his arms around Frisk's waist and bury his face against their chest.
The nurse spoke quietly with Gaster for a few minutes while Frisk kissed Sans' temple and draped their arms around him. "Hi, baby," they whispered. "Ready to go home?"
"Mhm…" Sans closed his eyes when Frisk's fingers combed soothingly through his hair. He felt sick, unable to shake Chara's face from his mind. Why did they have to look so much like Frisk? Why did they have to feel like Frisk? Why, of all the people he knew, did that demonic little shit have to be like Sans' own partner?
Sans murmured something against their chest, but it was too muffled to understand. Frisk pulled back a bit. "What was that…?"
"They knew everything…" Sans repeated quietly. "It's Chara… They knew about the knife… They knew about the fucking knife, Frisk." His dead tone grew a shade angry, and Frisk lifted a hand to his cheek, making him pause for a moment.
"Not here, Sans. We're going back to Aria's place. William told us what you said on the phone."
Sans only nodded, and Gaster motioned them along as the nurse let them be. Everything was in order and Sans didn't need to stay at the hospital any longer for the minor- though large- cut. Gaster wanted to talk to his son, but seeing the absolutely exhausted younger man's expression, he kept silent. They all climbed into Gaster's black sedan- Frisk and Sans together in the back- and Gaster drove off toward Aria's home on the north end of Echo. The ride was silent, and whenever Gaster glanced back through the rearview, he saw Sans never moved, just slumped against Frisk's side. Just once, Sans caught Gaster's gaze in the glass, and Gaster caught a glimpse of a purple glow. Sans was deeply distressed, and it worried Gaster. His son had always been stressed and depressed under that relaxed façade. Breaking such a carefully-crafted mask took far more than a minor crash.
Gaster pulled into the paved driveway before the pale green house just as snow began to drift down from the half-grey sky, but the sun was still shining brightly, high in the west. Frisk and Sans walked inside together with Gaster just behind, and Sans paused at the sight of Alphys and Undyne sitting at the table with two unexpected additions. Aria was home already, and beside her was the formidable Maurette Wagner- Undyne's mother. Like Undyne, she was tall and lean and well-toned, but her hair was a dark brown with a few silvery streaks here and there. She was fairly pale like Undyne with the same dark eyes, but she was taller and not quite as broad.
The four at the table all looked up, and Sans paused when all eyes focused on him. Maurette stood and came around the table, and Frisk saw Sans' defenses begin to crumble. Sans' mother's two best friends had been Maurette and Aria, but Maurette was the closest living person to the woman Lucida Skjallar had been, being of a similar sensibility and background. It was no wonder that Sans saw her as a second mother, instead of an aunt like Aria.
"Sans Reily Skjallar. You had us worried sick." Maurette's firm and deep feminine tone matched her posture as she placed her hands on her hips. "Especially Frisk."
"I know…" Sans looked like a scolded puppy suddenly, something only Maurette and few others seemed to be able to do to him.
"Come here, sweetheart," Maurette murmured, her tough act fading instantly as she could see Sans' own usual mask was long gone. Sans left Frisk's side and Maurette wrapped him up in her arms with a kiss to his cheek. His own arms loosely draped around her. Sans wasn't one to mope in front of people, letting everyone know he was deeply upset. With Maurette's comfort- the closest to Lucida that Sans could hope for- Sans suddenly realized his eyes were brimming with tears. Maybe it was frustration, maybe it was fear. He couldn't tell.
Gaster quietly made his way to Aria's side and Frisk settled beside Undyne, smiling weakly when she took their hand. With some extra chairs from a closet, everyone was soon settled around the table shoulder-to shoulder, Sans between Maurette and Frisk. It was Gaster who broke the silence.
"I told everyone what you told me. Mettaton and Papyrus too- they're on their way. I suggest we hold off too much discussion before they arrive, that way everyone's on the same page. But Sans… you may want to tell everyone what you told me at the hospital when we were alone."
Sans lifted his head, and with a sigh, he unzipped his hoodie and began unbuttoning his shirt to reveal bandages carefully taped across his chest from his right shoulder to the bottom of his ribs on the left. He winced as he peeled the bandages away, revealing that they were completely clean though the scar was much darker than before. He crumpled up the bandages and tossed them into a bin near the table, letting the others see what Chara had done to him.
"My chest started bleeding on the way back," Sans muttered. "That's why I crashed… I took my eyes off the road for a second when I felt my shirt getting wet. Thankfully, we got people who didn't ask too many questions. Dad took care of the cut, but…"
"It's been twelve years. How could it have bled?" Aria asked quietly, and Sans met her gaze.
"The same way a knife flew out on its own and got you, Aria. Sure as hell wasn't ghosts," Sans sighed as he rebuttoned his shirt.
"How could Chara have done those things, though? It's too far. Even people like Gaster and Asgore can't reach further than what they can see," Undyne countered.
"Who else could it have been? Who else knew the knife fell into the basin?" Maurette asked with a shake of her head. "I remember the fight with that little monster. I've got my own scars from it. But the real question is how they're managing this. They can clearly wreak havoc without being present for it. And when the most powerful magic-users we know can't even do that, we have to figure out how to stop it."
"B-but Frisk took their abilities away. H-How could they get it all b-back?" Alphys murmured, and everyone- save Sans- looked to Frisk.
"I… I don't know. You all know I can't do much… maybe… maybe I only locked them away for a while. I only really took one ability from them… but that happened without us knowing until Chara couldn't use it anymore." Frisk nervously folded their hands. "I didn't know what I was doing back then, and no one else could do it either. No one knew it was possible to take someone else's power."
"I gave up trying to figure it out eight-odd years ago," Gaster sighed.
"You tried to repeat it?" Sans raised an eyebrow at his father.
"Tried and failed miserably because it was too dangerous to test on anyone. Aria offered to be the guinea pig, but I didn't want to risk taking away her abilities when she's my own safeguard and I'm hers if accidents happen in the lab and CORE. I considered asking Toriel or Alphys, but… with the memory of how awful the backlash was for Frisk… who's to say I- a magic-user much more in touch with my abilities- wouldn't be effected in worse ways? Who's to say more power is a safeguard? Altogether, there were too many variables to test safely, and with how odd a case Chara is with unpredictable magic, and how specific Frisk's power is, I had nothing really to go off of."
"It's better you didn't. It took me days to be able to walk again, and weeks before I was back to normal," Frisk murmured with a nod. "And there's no saying whether it could be permanent if you take someone else's power away."
"This is true… So it will remain untested, I'm afraid." Gaster looked up as there was a knock on the door, and Alphys rose to answer.
"Hello, darlings," Mettaton's lovely voice announced, and as he and Papyrus stepped in, the smell of cheese and toasted bread filled the room. They were carrying several bags marked with a local café's logo. "We brought food. A little bit of everything."
"So that's what took you so long," Undyne chuckled, giving Mettaton's raised eyebrow a smirk in return.
"I did say we were making a stop. I figured our walking wounded would appreciate their favorite sandwiches." Mettaton and Papyrus set the bags on the counters, and Sans was almost immediately hugged tightly from behind by his much taller brother.
"I can't believe you didn't call me," Papyrus muttered against Sans' shoulder.
"I, uh… didn't have much to say… beyond what Dad told you."
Papyrus lifted his head, looking at Sans for a long moment and finding his brother looked even more tired than usual. Even when Frisk took his hand again, Papyrus saw Sans wouldn't make eye contact with them. "Okay, then…" Papyrus murmured, turning his attention to Maurette and Aria and greeting each of them as his beloved aunts. Sans closed his eyes feeling Mettaton's arms wrap around him too, his cool hands resting on Sans' chest.
"Are you okay, baby?" Mettaton whispered against his ear, and Sans felt his eyes sting. He hated that question. And whenever someone he loved deeply asked it, his shell would start to crack.
"Yeah…" Sans' answer was too quiet and too weak for Mettaton to believe him.
"Frisk, honey," Mettaton lifted his head to look at Sans' young partner. "Can I borrow him for a minute?"
"Go ahead. He needs it." Frisk could see it too. Even though Sans wanted to be close to them, he couldn't look at them.
"I'm fine," Sans repeated, even as Mettaton pulled him from the chair and off toward Aria's back room. "M, I'm okay…"
"You suck at lying when you're tired, Sans." Mettaton pushed him lightly toward a counter beside the washing machine, and Sans quietly pulled himself up to sit with his legs dangling off. Mettaton stepped up close as he could, his slender arms settling over Sans' shoulders, hands lightly clasped behind his head. Sans didn't react, his eyes still downcast until Mettaton leaned in close and kissed him square on the lips. Sans froze, eyes wide and his mind blank until he finally lifted both hands to push against Mettaton's chest. The younger man pulled back and his fingers trailed down Sans' thick arms, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Mettaton…" Sans whispered, eyes still wide in shock. "What… the fuck?"
"Are you awake now?" Mettaton questioned with one raised, perfectly-shaped dark brow.
"You're dating Pap. I… I'm with Frisk, for fuck's sake-"
"Shut up. That's for all the teasing. And besides, I don't intend to cheat on Papyrus. I just figured it'd clear that dumb head of yours."
Sans relaxed at that explanation. "Heh… guess it's payback for the time I did it to you, huh…?"
"Especially that," Mettaton nodded, his arms draping over Sans' shoulders again and laying his head against Sans'. "You cleared my head then, made me realize how dedicated I was to making things work with Papyrus."
"I was pretty lonely without you… but you two love each other. I would've given up a lot more than a friend with benefits for you guys to get over your insecurities and give yourselves a chance."
"Thank you for that," Mettaton whispered, kissing his cheek. "He means the world to me, but I don't have to give up anything of myself for him. He's perfect…"
"Glad you think so too." Sans leaned into Mettaton and let his arms rest on the younger man's back.
"Now…" Mettaton murmured after a long silence, pulling back to cup Sans' cheeks. "Tell me what's going on with you and Frisk."
"Nothing's wrong between us," Sans told him, and at Mettaton's sigh, Sans shook his head. "It's not… It's not Frisk. We're okay. It's… Chara."
"What do you mean 'it's Chara?' What did they do?"
"Plenty… but that's not really it… Chara… God, it's so stupid… they… they look like Frisk…"
"I remember they were practically twins as children…"
"They're a little less alike now, but… I got over them looking alike once Frisk grew up and I hadn't seen Chara for years… I didn't even think they'd still look similar when I walked in there… Chara's paler, a lot thinner, barely taller than me… They've got different eyes, obviously, but… when they smiled at me especially… I saw Frisk."
"That certainly explains why you can't look at them."
"I'll get over it… hopefully before they notice."
"If I know Frisk at all, sweetheart, they already noticed. They just haven't asked because you've got a lot on your mind and you're hurt."
"I'm not hurt…"
"Gaster said-"
"My scar started bleeding. The crash didn't do much to me."
"Bleeding?"
"Dad took care of it, but… yeah. It looked like Chara slashed me again."
"Oh my god…"
"I kinda… freaked out… But I'm okay now."
"Liar."
"Okay as I'm gonna be until I'm sure Chara can't ever mess with us again."
"Sans…" Mettaton sighed, hugging him tighter. "I'm sorry this is happening again, baby… I wish I knew how to fix it."
"Between Chara and the shit going on in the CORE… I wish someone- anyone- had some answers… But until we have something to work with… I'd appreciate your help." Mettaton pulled back to meet his gaze with a nod.
"Of course. As often as I can spare it. Papyrus and I already agreed we were going to support you all as much as we possibly could."
"Just don't neglect your own livelihoods in the process," Sans reminded him with a tiny, weak smile.
"My schedule's flexible, and Papyrus ought to be alright seeing as Undyne's involved too. She'll understand if he needs to take off to save one of you. She'll probably be right behind him." Mettaton took a step back, smoothing Sans' shirt and straightening his hoodie. "Now, you have a very worried partner waiting in the other room, probably wondering if they upset you, by the looks of their expression. I know it'll be hard to get over the whole Chara thing… but just remember, this is our Frisk. They're your partner and your best friend, and everyone's favorite little savior and support column. Once you can stand on your own, you might let them know how much they mean to you."
"Yeah… I should." Sans slipped down from the counter, earning one more kiss on his cheek before the two emerged and Mettaton gently directly him toward Frisk with a nudge. A sandwich wrapped in paper was waiting for him alongside a bottle of cola, and everyone was already eating. No one asked about the exchange in the back room. They all knew Sans and Mettaton were intimately close friends and former lovers. Papyrus and Frisk respected that longstanding relationship deeply, knowing where the men's hearts lay no matter how close they were or whether they still loved each other.
Papyrus welcomed Mettaton back with a little smile, his concern showing silently in his expression. Mettaton reassured him with a kiss and joined the table at his side. Their meal was quiet, only a few words exchanged here and there between couples or parents and their children. Maurette was the one to finally break the relative silence once all the plates and napkins were cleared away.
"So… since I think we're all up to date on what's going on… what are we going to do about Chara? I can't discuss much in the way of the CORE- I'm no scientist. But I'm still willing to help if I can."
"Chara seems to be the more immediate threat," Gaster muttered, glancing to Aria. She reached out to take his scarred hand. She hadn't said much all day, still a bit shell-shocked after her near-death experience.
"I agree… as long as things don't get worse in the CORE," Aria murmured. "I imagine some of the more… violent accidents were their doing. It seemed to be just machine failures up until very recently. And I don't see why Chara would be terribly interested in the CORE. It seems like they're more concerned with Sans and Frisk. They must've figured out that causing trouble in the power plant would attract Sans' attention."
"How would they know I have anything to do with it?" Sans asked quietly, meeting Aria's gaze across the table.
"I'm guessing once they evened out in the hospital, they might've started asking questions and watching the news. Odds are, they saw you working with us in the lab in reporter pieces, or maybe Toriel or Asgore talked about you thinking it was safe. I'm counting on the latter." Gaster rubbed his brow. "They may even know Frisk is your partner, which is… a problem, to say the least. But at least we know exactly where Chara is, and we can figure out how to safeguard against them."
"What can we do?" Undyne asked, her brows furrowed with worry.
"I… don't know yet. There's no one I know of in the hospital that understands the intricacies of magic or even knows people like us exist," Gaster sighed, shaking his head.
"Wh-what if we spoke to their doctor? He m-might find it hard to believe us, and it'd b-be a risk… but-"
"For safety's sake, I don't think so, dear," Maurette interrupted. "Even if we prove Chara's abilities to him, he could tell others and put us all in danger. Even Asgore wouldn't be able to help if that knowledge got out."
"That little bastard knows they have us backed into a corner," Undyne growled. "They've had years to think of all this. How much do you wanna bet they've already thought through every idea we're gonna come up with?"
"Then we may not have many options beyond an all-out fight," Maurette shook her head.
"What about Asriel?" Frisk asked softly. "Chara was obsessed with getting back to him back then. What if that hasn't changed?"
"The kid could be pretty unstable if Chara's involved," Sans added. "He's steady otherwise, but… Even the idea of Chara makes him shut down."
"We need to let Toriel and Asgore know, if only for Asriel's sake. They won't want to believe it, but I'm afraid this time, they'll have to choose a side," Gaster rubbed his temples as he spoke. "I'm not looking forward to that fight."
"We can't reason with Chara?" Papyrus spoke up, ever the naïve optimist even as all eyes turned to him, save Frisk's. They looked down, willing the influx of memories to go away. Papyrus had felt the same about Frisk back then, even when Frisk had taken the White Dove Union's side. He'd thought he could bring peace, but the only peace he ever found was at the smoking end of a rifle outside Snowdin.
"Papy, darling. I love that you want to resolve this amicably for everyone," Mettaton sighed, taking his hand. "But Chara's gone too far too many times."
"Everyone's capable of being good," Papyrus insisted. "We just have to figure out how…"
"It's too much of a risk, Pap," Sans told him. "And I don't want you playing hero, you got it?"
"I… I suppose…" Papyrus leaned against Mettaton's side. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."
"I know, bro. But we have to pick the lesser evil, here," Sans reminded him, and Frisk closed their eyes. They remembered that phrase, that last call with Sans before he joined the rest of Delta in rising up against the Union. Frisk never heard from any of them again after that.
"Frisk?" Came Aria's soft voice, and they picked their head up quickly.
"What? Sorry, I… I was thinking," Frisk explained quickly, brushing a lock of their long dark hair back from their face.
"You look pale, sweetheart," Mettaton commented, and that made Sans finally look up at Frisk. Mettaton was right. They'd lost most of their color, like they'd been terrified by something.
"Babe?" Sans asked, and Frisk shook their head.
"I'm fine. It's just… all of this has me a little spooked, you know? I… I'd hoped we were done with Chara twelve years ago…" Sans wouldn't buy it, Frisk know, but hopefully the others would.
"We'll f-figure this out." Alphys tried to sound confident. "We did it once. We c-can do it again. W-we're all older and stronger now."
"I hope so, Al," Frisk nodded.
"We'll start in the CORE," Gaster spoke up with a nod of his own. "We'll learn where Chara's influence is, and then we'll work backwards from there. If we can get at least Asgore on board, we'll have plenty of power behind us as well as a safeguard against those who might be afraid of us magic-users. And I'll make sure we have every possible precaution in place. Down to damned body armor if needed."
"Speaking of which… Undyne. I gotta put in my resignation," Sans added. "Dad needs me at the CORE."
"Good. You're fired," Undyne nodded. "Go figure out how to save us. Again."
"Again? That was Frisk last time."
"You were instrumental," Maurette reminded him. "Frisk was in the lead, but I don't think any of us could've succeeded if any of the others were missing. And it was the two of you that put Chara down when they broke out again."
"Eh… you softened them up for us," Sans shrugged, glancing to Frisk again as they remained silent and pensive. He sat forward, looking over them all. "Dad and I will take a look at everything again, Aria too when she can come back. Then we'll try to form a plan of action. Keep your phones close and don't be afraid to call for help if something doesn't seem right. We don't know who Chara might go after, or whether they know who's involved. Just be careful, and don't do anything stupid."